Why the triple-back somersault in artistic gymnastics is still so rare

“I knew I had the highest start value, so I knew if I nailed my landings I'd be in with a shot of the (floor exercise) title,” Great Britain’s Luke Whitehouse explained to Olympics.com in an exclusive interview at the 2023 European Gymnastics Championships in Antalya, Turkey, a gold medal hanging around his neck.

And therein lies the reason Whitehouse decided to perfect the notoriously tricky triple back somersault, a move so difficult only a handful of male gymnasts have performed it since Valeri Liukin introduced it at the 1987 World Gymnastics Championships.

When the Soviet introduced the tumble that involves rotating backwards three times in a tuck position from a round-off back flip propulsion, there was little reward for his efforts, just the kudos of having every gymnast and spectator in the arena marvel at his audacity.

Whitehouse, meanwhile, reaps more of a reward.

Risk and reward gymnastics

Each gymnastics move has a value attributed to it – from A, the easiest, to H, the highest in the men’s rulebook. You’ll never guess which end of the spectrum the triple back sits.

So that’s what Whitehouse means when he talks about having a high start value.

No one else was competing the move at the 2023 Europeans, so with Whitehouse landing all his tumbles cleanly, describing it as “probably the best routine” of his life, little could be done by the other gymnasts to beat the Brit. And that includes the reigning Olympic champion on the apparatus, Artem Dolgopyat, who came second.

The Israeli performed his routine better, said the judges, via an 8.566 execution score out of 10 to Whitehouse’s 8.4, but the Brit’s 6.5 difficulty score offered 0.4 marks more than the defending European champion, giving an overall total of 14.900 to Dolgopyat’s 14.666.

So that’s the reason for including the difficulty, but it’s been hard work to get there, and not without some issues.

Most difficult gymnastics move

In 2021, ahead of the British Championships, Whitehouse was preparing to compete the triple back for the second time.

He’d already performed the tumble successfully at the Croatia World Challenge Cup a few months earlier, becoming the first British gymnast to compete the skill.

However, after landing “short” – under-rotating the somersault and not quite making it all the way round to feet is one of the most dangerous aspects of the move – Whitehouse injured his ankles so removed the sequence from his routine.

That is, until early 2023, when he decided to attempt it again.

“At the start of this year, I decided, I need that skill back, it's a high-value skill. I've been working on it since then and I think I've solidified it now.”

Practice, practice, practice – that’s what’s needed to perfect such a skill and keep the gymnast safe, but how do you even begin to learn a move like that?

“You basically do double backs (two somersaults) to high mats, so I can do like a round-off double-back to mats above my head. When you can get enough rotation to do that, it’s then having the belief. And then you build it up from the (foam) pit to mats on the tumble track and then take it to the floor.”

And the first time you attempted it on the floor area, presumably you had a coach stand in?

“Yeah, I always get my coach to stand there but I'm literally doing the somersault over his head, so even if something does go wrong, he's not really going to be able to help me. So it's just for my mental wellbeing, even though I know he's not going to be able to do a lot.”

Triple back somersault still a rarity

So why does Whitehouse think, even though the tumble was introduced in the 80s, that so few gymnasts have attempted the always eye-catching triple back somersault, despite springier floor mats?

“It's because it's a really hard skill, and it's obviously quite dangerous as well because you're rotating backwards, you can't see where you're going.

"You're feeling where you are in the air but by doing repetitions and repetitions, you eventually know where you are, and you know when you can kick out and when it's safe.”

With Filipino superstar Carlos Yulo posting a video performing the triple back in training in May, almost one year out from Paris 2024, it looks like gymnastics fans can look forward to an increasing number of the head-turning triple backs.

Before that though, Whitehouse will likely perform the move at the Tel Aviv Challenge Cup from 1-4 June in Israel, in which he is listed to take part.

The event is the second of six in the FIG World Challenge Cup series run by the world governing body, a competition that sees elite gymnasts hone their craft ahead of major championships as well as the kudos of winning the event itself.

With both the World Championships in Antwerp in September and the 2024 World Cup series offering quota places for the Games in France, gymnasts will use the 2023 Challenge series to perfect their form and practice new routines on the competition stage, especially as the 2023 edition also finishes at the venue hosting the artistic gymnastics next year.

Whitehouse will be one of those, wowing the crowd with the still rare triple back, and hoping to showcase his form to GB selectors ahead of the biggest arena of all in France next year.

FIG World Challenge Cup series

Varna Challenge Cup – 25-28 May, Bulgaria

Tel Aviv Challenge Cup – 1-4 June, Israel

Osijek Challenge Cup – 8-11 June, Croatia

Mersin Challenge Cup – 1-3 September, Turkey

Szombathely Challenge Cup – 8-10 September, Hungary

Paris Challenge Cup – 16-17 September, France